In the past year or two, Wang Xiaolie has often thought about what kind of civilization ours is? In previous lives, people often said that Chinese civilization was the only ancient civilization that has survived into later generations. However, it is unclear what the background of this continuing civilization is and what it should look like. Perhaps, this question is not clear to begin with.
From the explosion of ideas and the contention of a hundred schools of thought in the pre-Qin period, to the exclusive emphasis on Confucianism in the Han Dynasty, to the revival of Confucianism in the late Tang Dynasty, to the dispute between Neo-Confucianism and Taoism in the Song Dynasty, and in the Ming Dynasty, the study of mind was added. This civilization has had too many ideas and various theories. With the development of the times, people have been thinking and searching for the secrets of man and nature, and have been looking for ways to achieve long-term peace and stability.
After thousands of years of exploration, there is still no answer.
People in future generations should not think that they are smarter than people in previous generations just because they stand downstream of the river. With the development of society, the wisdom of civilization as a whole should be getting stronger and stronger. But it may not be true for everyone.
There are always some people, influenced by the explorers of more than a hundred years ago, who feel that China's backwardness in modern times is due to Confucian civilization. I think what would have happened if Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty not only respected Confucianism two thousand years ago, but also if the ideas used in China were Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism. They have developed technology first, and history is governed not by men but by law, and all kinds of fantastic ideas.
These ideas don't make much sense. It's about the same as before when people were tired from farming and enjoying the cool under the shade of a tree. They would gather around an old farmer and ask him to tell us a story. Emperors, generals and ministers in history, cloth sellers in Nanshan, horse sellers in Beiling, all kinds of strange and wonderful things. Just talking about it is not very helpful for people to understand history and reality.
The old farmer doesn't know what emperors, generals, and ministers look like. Those who say they want to use Taoism, Legalism, and Mohism also don't know what these ideas look like. Just talking and passing the boring time.
In the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin usurped power and ended the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. After the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms came to an end, it could no longer be the case that “the emperor’s troops and horses are strong and strong”, which involves the issue of dynastic legitimacy. The Song Dynasty came to usurp power, and there were Khitans in the north, so the legitimacy of the tradition was insufficient. The intellectuals of the Song Dynasty must supplement the legitimacy of the dynasty. It was also the Song Dynasty that proposed whether a dynasty was orthodox or not should be judged by how to control chaos. A dynasty that governs the world is naturally orthodox. A dynasty in chaos is unorthodox.
The most important achievement of this work was completed by Ouyang Xiu. A thousand years later, when China was facing reform, it proposed that "poverty is not socialism." Are there any similarities?
The night gradually deepened.
Wang Xiaolie looked at the waning moon in the sky and fell into deep thought.
The knowledge of past lives has many uses, but there are also many misunderstandings and cannot be copied without analysis. The next step must be taken with caution. Don’t do something right only to be led down the wrong path by knowledge from past lives.
As we all know, productivity determines production relations, and production relations react on productivity. If the production relations are suitable for the productive forces, they can effectively promote the development of the productive forces, and there will be conditions for the stable development of society. If the production relations are not suitable for the productive forces, they will seriously hinder the development of the productive forces. The difficulty is to face social reality and what kind of production relations are needed. What is the form of such production relations?
Dividing the development process of mankind into primitive society, slave society, feudal society and capitalist society is Marx's summary of European history. Stalin's theory, with socialism added at the end, became a five-paragraph theory of the development of human society.
This five-paragraph theory is inconsistent with the reality of Chinese history. In fact, the five-paragraph theory does not correspond to any historical reality except Russia.
Using this five-paragraph theory, it is definitely incorrect to think that China in the Song Dynasty was a feudal society and that if it entered the capitalist society first, it would be able to lead the world. In fact, true capitalist society is basically the same only in Europe and the United States.
In the feudal era of Europe and America, in addition to the mainly agricultural areas of the kings and nobles, there were also some autonomous industrial and commercial towns. The capitalist revolution eliminated kings and nobles. The political tradition formed has deep roots in these autonomous industrial and commercial towns. Wang Xiaolie doesn’t know if other places in the world have such a social structure, but he knows that China does not.
Taxpayers and rural governance were developed on the basis of autonomous industrial and commercial towns in Europe and the United States, and have their unique political traditions. When it comes to China, it is completely out of line. Are there any benefits to such a political tradition and social structure? Of course there is. But it does not apply to countries like China.
Learning from the West means learning from what they can do to guide China's progress, but it means copying everything from a cat to a tiger. Learning from other countries during the European Industrial Revolution, no country has ever succeeded in learning along such a route and through such a path.
No matter what ideology or doctrine, if you want to succeed in China, you must carry out Sinicization. After being sinicized, it will definitely be completely different from its original appearance. This is normal and possible to succeed.
If you think that today is a feudal society, you will engage in capitalism, or even vigorously promote and support capitalists, thinking that you are saving China, which is a sign of immature thinking. Some people even think that for the sake of capitalism, the interests of the people can be sacrificed, that the capitalists can be in charge of the country, and that the people can be the nourishment for the capitalists to make money. This is even more crazy.
How to do it? There is actually no answer to this question. Where is the answer? The answer lies in the future after successful practice.
This is not just China, but also other countries, nations, and even other civilizations in the world. Learning is never about copying other people's achievements, but about absorbing nutrients, changing oneself, and forming one's own unique civilization.
Some people say that India's development requires a revolution. Others say that Africa needs to start from feudal society. Such statements are all mistakes. What India needs, only Indians know. Only Africans know what Africa needs. But one thing is certain, what they need is not to copy Europe and the United States, nor to copy their former suzerainty.
The relationship between theory and practice may be far more complex than people think.
Wang Xiaolie couldn't explain what the Tao was. But know that as long as it is clearly stated, it is not the Tao. The meaning of this sentence, to put it another way, is that there is no eternal truth in this world. All theories are not truth and are adapted to the time and place. Theories are just for others to learn from. The success of learning from others comes from practice.
The great discussion aroused by the fact that practice is the only criterion for testing truth has greatly liberated the mind. Wang Xiaolie believes that from the perspective of Chinese civilization, this is far from enough. It should be admitted that in order for theory to become truth, it must be practiced. Practice is not a test. In fact, the real truth does not need to be tested. Practice is the correction and supplement of theory, making theory become reality.
Theory guides practice, which does not mean that practice should follow theory. Rather, it means knowing how to start practicing from the beginning. In the process of practice, not only practice needs the guidance of theory, but theory also needs modification by practice. This process is mutually reinforcing and indispensable.
Theory does not exist before practice. What exists before practice is not a complete theory. Incomplete theories can only be used for reference and cannot be regarded as naturally correct, let alone truth.
We always think that whatever knowledge we have learned and what theories we know, we also know how to do things. It's not like this. We feel that it was successful according to the theory just because various conditions were stipulated.
In the natural sciences, this phenomenon may be less confusing. Scientific experiments, as long as you strictly follow the prescribed steps, will almost certainly get the results you deserve. In fact, upon closer inspection, each test is different, but it does not affect it.
In social science, there are actually some things. As long as you do what is required, you will get the results you deserve. But note that these are conditional. It's just that you don't need to pay attention to those differences.
Once you reach civilization, it is almost impossible to set good conditions, and the results obtained cannot ignore those differences.
Chinese civilization, no matter which school of thought, almost always reaches the Tao in the end. What is Tao? can not say it clearly. What can be clearly explained is when something is wrong.
When he came back to his senses, he saw his sister staring at him strangely. Wang Xiaolie said: "Why does my sister look at me so strangely?"
"Strange?" Wang Qingxiu laughed after hearing this. "It's not that I look at you strangely, it's that you look strange. We, brother and sister, were drinking, and you were lost in thought after saying a few words. I don't know what you were thinking. How could I not be surprised?"
Wang Xiaolie was a little embarrassed. Said: "Everything is busy these days, and there is no time for leisure. I am celebrating the holiday with my sister today, and I suddenly feel relaxed and can't help but think too much."
Wang Qingxiu asked curiously: "What are you thinking about?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "I'm thinking that this rolling world of mortals is really like a mortal dojo. When I'm not an official, I feel relaxed and comfortable, and don't think about these things. When I become an official, I have to consider all aspects. I just feel that life is not simple.”
Wang Qingxiu said: "What are you talking about! I think people who are officials have a relaxed life. They are rich and powerful, and they have people to help them with everything. I don't know how happy they are!"
"That's just a fool." Wang Xiaolie sighed with emotion. "Many things in the world don't exist if you don't think about them. When you think about it, you find that you can't understand it. It's really difficult to do the right thing when you don't understand it. Just like being an official, how can you be a good official? Official? It’s actually easy if you just want your superiors to like you. But if you do this, you often have to wrong yourself and the people. As for me, as a governor, for a vassal, I have no way to make my superiors like me. I can’t let it. The officials are annoying, but the most important thing is to satisfy the people. This is difficult."
Speaking of this, Wang Xiaolie pointed to the moon in the sky and said: "Just like the moon in the sky, it sheds light at night. Many people misunderstand that the moon only comes out at night. In fact, the moon is always in the sky, but it doesn't shine during the day. It's just easy to see. The sun and moon are actually always in the sky, but they have their own division of labor and their own roles."
"Life is like a stage. When we come to this world, we have to play various roles on this stage. Some are heroes, some are villains, some are young men and women falling in love, and some are clowns and jokes. More people , is just a background. In addition to playing the role on the stage, we also need our own life. Perhaps, on stage and off stage, the sum total is a complete life."
